N. Koreans launch rocket

White House calls action ‘provocative’

By HYUNG-JIN KIM THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

Posted: December 12, 2012 at 2:21 a.m.

North Korea defied international warnings and fired a long-range rocket today, the second launch under its new leader and a clear sign Pyongyang is pushing forward with its quest to develop the technology that could be used to deliver a nuclear warhead.